 | | |
| High-Tech Road Repair
| In April 2007, a gasoline tanker crashed and burned while negotiating the MacArthur Maze, a network of interstate connections around the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge in California. The resulting blaze was so intense that it caused parts of the I-580 overpass to crash onto the interstate below. | | | Feeling the Earth Move
| | People have been trying to predict earthquakes for centuries—using animal behavior, weather, and seismic monitoring—but have had less than stellar success. As the human population shifts from a mostly rural existence to a mostly urban one, earthquakes exact a higher price, both in property damage and in lives lost. | | | Keeping Cool
| | If you've ever worked while resting a laptop computer on your lap, you know that computers emit heat, and the more powerful the computer, the greater the heat produced. This is a problem because electronics really don't enjoy elevated temperatures. A hot computer is a slow computer or, worse, a computer that will cease functioning. | | | Wireless's Domestic Turf War
| | Three major wireless communications protocol rivals have made new moves in home automation , while energy-harvesting pioneer pursues its own path to the building market. | | |  MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| Future Networks
| | The next generation of networks will move beyond disconnected device-specific networks and systems and toward a distributed infrastructure, with intelligent functions residing across the entire network, from its edge to its core. | | | Safe Boating, Everyone!
| | The cry of "man overboard!" is second only to "fire on shipboard!" as a general alarm for all hands. But what if no one sees that fellow boater or shipmate (or pet) fall into the drink? The Raymarine (www.raymarine.com) LifeTag system, using Ember's ZigBee (www.zigbee.org) networking technology, does away with that unhappy scenario. | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| The Five-Minute Filter University—August Session
| | Last month we discussed a number of simple passive filters in both low-pass and high-pass configurations. Although these filters could reject out-of-band signals, this capability was relatively limited because they all had an attenuation roll-off rate of –20 dB/decade. You will find that many applications require a much greater ability to reject out-of-band signals than that provided by the passive low-pass filters we looked at. | | | The Five-Minute Filter University, July Session
| | Back in the late 1970s comedian Don Novello (a.k.a. Father Guido Sarducci) had a routine called the "Five-Minute University," which was supposed to impart to you, in the span of only five minutes, all the knowledge you would retain five years after graduating from a regular university. So, in the same spirit, I offer "Dr. Ed's Five-Minute Analog Filter Design University." | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| Moving SOA onto the Plant Floor
| | If the sensor manufacturers' products already have the software "hooks" that allow the sensor data to be accessed by the SOA, the implementation has a quicker ROI. | | | MES—A Work In Progress
| | Traditionally, a manufacturing execution system (MES) is defined as a production scheduling and tracking system, which schedules and updates orders, analyzes and reports resource availability, collects execution data—such as material and labor usage, process parameters, and order and equipment status—and maintains statistical quality control. But such a static definition doesn't do this genre of software justice because MESs are a work in progress. | | | OPC—A Question of Relevance
| | For ten years, OPC's suite of standards has provided the industrial automation world with open connectivity, but the technology on which its standards are based is no longer on the cutting edge of data sharing. The foundation that rescued manufacturers, systems integrators, and software providers from the chaos of proprietary communications interfaces now has to compete with fast movers such as service-oriented architectures and Web services. The question is: Can the standards evolve, embrace new communications mechanisms, and remain relevant? | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| Improving Doppler-Based Sensing Systems
| | By incorporating high-performance digital signal controllers (DSCs), with their integrated architectures and small footprints, designers can simplify Doppler-based sensing systems, enhance their performance, and reduce development cycles. | | | Measuring Viscosity with a Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor
| | Viscosity, the resistance of a liquid to flow, is an important measurement requirement in industrial process control and OEM applications. Viscosity describes the retarding force that is proportional to the rate of deformation. This so-called shear rate has units of s?1 and describes the cross-stream gradient of the flow speed. | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| Special Report
| | It's hard to overestimate the impact of MEMS—or LabVIEW—on sensor applications. | | | So Much More
| | The Today at Sensors weblog (www.sensorsmag.com) not only gave us Sensors editors an outlet to report daily from Sensors Expo (June 5–7, www.sensorsexpo.com), but also it lets us tell you more about Expo happenings—among other things—than we've been able to before. Thank goodness, because there's much to tell! | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| Finding the Right Pressure Switch
| | Selecting a pressure switch that is well suited for a particular application is a multi-faceted process. The trick is to know what questions to ask to optimize your application. | | | Finding the Right Pressure Switch
| | Selecting a pressure switch that is well suited for a particular application is a multi-faceted process. The trick is to know what questions to ask to optimize your application. | | | Future Networks
| | The next generation of networks will move beyond disconnected device-specific networks and systems and toward a distributed infrastructure, with intelligent functions residing across the entire network, from its edge to its core. | | | Mixing Multiple Wireless Technologies
| | With the variety of wireless technologies available, outfitting an industrial or commercial environment for wireless communications may involve mixing and matching technologies to find the optimal solution. Here are the issues to consider to make your mix a successful one. | | | The ΔΣ ADC Learns New Tricks
| | A new architecture is blurring the distinction between successive approximation register (SAR) and ΔΣ ADCs, creating devices that couple high resolution with high throughput, achieving exceptional measurement accuracy and ease of integration. | | | Optimizing Motion Control—Getting the Most from Resolvers
| | To take full advantage of the resolver's potential, you have to compensate for error sources. Simulating resolver and cable functions go a long way toward helping you achieve this goal. | | Choosing the Right Pressure Transmitter:
| | Choosing the right pressure transmitter for your application involves more than specifying the pressure range. Don't forget to consider the technologies available, the environmental stresses and strains that will be involved, and the lifetime cost. | | | 3D Image Correlation: Measuring Displacement and Surface Strain
| | 3D image correlation is a general-purpose strain measurement tool that allows us to measure 3D displacement and the true surface strains of any material without contact and without many of the difficulties associated with these measurements. | | Choosing the Right Pressure Transmitter:
| | Choosing the right pressure transmitter for your application involves more than specifying the pressure range. Don't forget to consider the technologies available, the environmental stresses and strains that will be involved, and the lifetime cost. | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| |
| Mel's Picks
| | Online Vision Tutorial; Job Search Site; Personalized Ringtones | | | Mel's Picks
| | I've mentioned Sensorland.com, a Web site for information on sensing and measurement, before in this column. The people behind Sensorland.com have now added Sensorwatch to the main site. This is a series of internal Web sites, each devoted to a particular type of sensor. Currently, there are sites for pressure, position/proximity, vibration, load/force, and instrumentation. Look here for lists of suppliers, new product updates, and other relevant information. | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| Keeping Cool
| | If you've ever worked while resting a laptop computer on your lap, you know that computers emit heat, and the more powerful the computer, the greater the heat produced. This is a problem because electronics really don't enjoy elevated temperatures. A hot computer is a slow computer or, worse, a computer that will cease functioning. | | | App Snaps
| | The current conflict in Iraq is proving to be a war of amputations. If it's any consolation, an extremely well engineered prosthetic, the Boston Digital Arm (BDA), promises to reproduce much of a lost limb's functionality. The BDA's operating principle has been well demonstrated—the user's remaining muscles and nerves activate the device and control its movements. This arm goes beyond conventional prosthetics, though, by having five axes of motion as well as a variable gripping force in the hand that gives the user the ability to "sense" a held object. | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| |
| Fiber-Optic Sensors for Corrosion Monitoring
| | By using fiber-optic sensors to measure wall thickness, gas pipeline operators can track and monitor how quickly pipelines are corroding. Linking the sensors to networked monitoring instrumentation allows them to do this remotely. | | | Monitoring Industrial-Machinery Lubricants
| | By keeping tabs on your equipment's lubricating fluids, you can prolong the operating life of your machinery and reduce the cost of ownership. | | | Keeping Cool
| | If you've ever worked while resting a laptop computer on your lap, you know that computers emit heat, and the more powerful the computer, the greater the heat produced. This is a problem because electronics really don't enjoy elevated temperatures. A hot computer is a slow computer or, worse, a computer that will cease functioning. | | | How Are Your Bearings Holding Up? Find Out with Ultrasound
| | While many bearings can fail due to lack of lubrication, over-lubrication is considered one of the major causes of bearing failure. | | | Is Your Engine Weary?
| | Scientists at the University of Manchester, U.K., are developing a
new type of wireless sensor to remotely monitor mechanical parts
and systems and allow predictions of breakdowns in advance of
failure. | | | Shipboard Machine Monitoring for Predictive Maintenance
| | BP's Loch Rannoch project began by testing the effectiveness and reliability of a promising wireless network technology and then went on to develop a commercial system that could be used in the company's refineries. | | | Electrical Impedance-What Lies Beneath
| | You all remember Ohm's law and the definition of electrical
resistance as the ability of a circuit to resist the flow of
electrical current. Although useful, Ohm's law applies to only one
circuit element and assumes it to be an ideal resistor. Real-world
circuit elements are more complex and exhibit resistive,
capacitive, and inductive behavior that together define its
impedance. | | | Dynamic Defect Detection Part 1: Theory of Vibrational Analysis
| | Vibrational theory can seem overwhelming, but it does prove
manageable to those who wish to use the modal parameters within a
single frequency response function as indicators of product health. | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
| Corning Extends Fusion Process to Touch-Screen Applications
| | Scratch-resistant Gorilla glass provides an ultra-durable screen for handheld devices without compromising image quality. | | | Optimizing Motion Control—Getting the Most from Resolvers
| | To take full advantage of the resolver's potential, you have to compensate for error sources. Simulating resolver and cable functions go a long way toward helping you achieve this goal. | | | Advances in IR Temperature Measurement
| | The latest developments in IR sensors not only help you optimize your manufacturing processes and business operations but also enable you to meet industry standards for final product quality and reliability. | | | No Chips!
| | Who wants to buy a beverage in a chipped bottle or cereal in a box with crushed corners? Sensor Wireless Inc. (www.sensorwireless.com) set about developing a specialized technology to prevent such uglies. Their wireless sensors transmit data on handling and environmental parameters and show the results in real time. | | | New To Bookshelves—Sensor Selection Guide: Optimizing Manufacturing and Processes, 2nd ed.
| | ISA publishes Independent Learning Modules (ILMs), materials designed primarily for independent self-study. This book is one of these ILMs and is intended to provide a broad understanding of sensors (in terms of what you need to measure and what devices exist to do so) coupled with information on how to choose wisely. | | | Designing Intelligent 4–20 mA Transducers
| | Modern industrial automation applications—such as PLCs, factory process control, and intelligent transmitters—all demand high-performance, low-power components. Current-mode data transmission is no exception. Intelligent 4–20 mA current-mode data transmission is the preferred technique in many industrial automation applications and is a well-established standard for communications between the host computer and smart/intelligent transmitters in harsh factory environments. This article describes intelligent transmitters and explains their need for high-resolution, low-power ADCs, DACs, and isolation devices. | | | Ethanol pH = Mean Beer
| | Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) makes ingredients for human food
and animal feed, as well as renewable fuels and naturally derived
alternatives to industrial chemicals. In 1971, ADM acquired Corn
Sweeteners Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which it subsequently expanded
into ethanol production. | | | Broad Spectroscopy Access
| | Ocean Optics has agreed to co-brand and distribute Raman spectrometer systems based on Centice Corp.'s patent-pending, multimodal multiplex spectroscopy (MMS) technology, which uses a coded wide-area aperture, instead of the conventional pin hole or slit entrance and can sample and mathematically process up to 500 channels simultaneously. | | | Extending USB to Time-Critical Applications
| | The technology can turn your PC into a highly deterministic distributed control platform. | | | MORE ARTICLES
|
| |
|
| |
| 
